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Seagate began shipping its next-generation hybrid drive on Tuesday, the Momentus XT, which Seagate claims is three times faster than a "traditional" hard disk.

The drive, which combines solid-state storage with a traditional rotating hard disk, holds 750GB of data and caches 8GB of data on the built-in SSD. It builds on the original Momentus XT, which was awarded with an Editors' Choice, adding the 6 Gbps SATA interface that was one of the original's weak points.

Seagate claimed that the new Momentus XT drive is nearly 70 percent faster than the prior Momentus drive version. It uses adaptive memory—moving frequently used data to the SSD cache—and a related technology that Seagate calls FAST Factor.

Consumers can buy the 2.5-inch drive for $102 at Amazon, Canada Computers, CDW, Memory Express, NCIX, Newegg, and TigerDirect, or buy an OEM notebook with a built-in drive. Seagate said it had six OEM partners, but didn't name them. It's also difficult to say whether the drive's availability and price will be affected by the Thai floods, which has caused evidence of price gouging, even as Seagate's outlook has slightly improved.